Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Do your children love books? Do they love to color? Sometimes my kids have a tendency to combine these 2 loves into a book that was not meant for writing in :) I decided to remedy that problem and turn every book into a write in book for them!

All you need is a sheet protector and a pair of scissors! Cut the long side of the sheet protector, so that your page is now only held together by the bottom side.

Slip it right over any page they want to use and it's ready for action! These are most popular in seek-and-find books! They can check off what they find and circle where they are! In regular books, they can search for sight words or draw their own pictures. They can make funny pictures on the normal photos as well!

Another popular use for these sheet protectors are on workbooks, they last longer OR allow 3 kids to do the popular pages!!

Little hands have loved this project so much that they often ask for more and more pages! Hope you enjoy it!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

As I browsed my wine cooler, I found this little friend inside and it made me laugh! That laughter led me to believe that more friends of mine would find such an encounter just as amusing. I share him with you as I also send my wishes to you and your families! Happy Thanksgiving friends! May we all be Blessed and continue to be happy!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I am all about 100% reusable lunches, but when it's time for a field trip I make exceptions. I don't like my kids having to lug their lunch boxes, containers and thermoses around afterwards, so I try to make the lunch disposable, but still cute! Stickers, Scrapbooking Scissors, Ribbon, Crayons and the like make things so much cuter and the kids have fun creating them too!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Do you have little ones learning their letters? I have A fun and super easy game that involves pieces that you probably already have at home! Grab a pack of clothespins and label each one with a letter (A-Z) and then grab a pack of alphabet flashcards! Dump them all into 1 bin and have your children start to match them up!

A great seek and find game, that then turns into matching! Try writing the upper case letter on one side and the lower case letters on the other side! Super easy and so much fun!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Happy Thursday everyone! Can you believe it is ONE WEEK until Thanksgiving?! Where on earth did the time go? It's time for my final installment of Thankful Thursdays in November. I wish you all a wonderful day and know that I am always thankful for each one of you that takes a minute to read what I have to say in this little neck of the woods!

1. The ability to send my children to a private school. This is something we saved for the minute our first was born and I am so happy that we are able to do this for them.

2. My best friend. Her and I have taken different paths in life and I am so happy that when we get together everything is as good as it ever was. We may not be able to talk often, but it's still a friendship that I hold dear.

3. Disney World. This sounds very crazy, I'm sure but Disney World is the one place that we can vacation to constantly and the minute we pass through that archway everything in the real world disappears!

4. My education. My parents did all they could to send me to a private school and on to college and I appreciate every single thing that they did.

5. People that work in retail. It's not an easy job, but many of you all handle it with such awesomeness that I often leave a store smiling because 1 small comment can change the outlook of an entire day!

6. Having a youngest in preschool. He goes to school for 2.5 hours daily and my husband works second shift. For those 2.5 hours, we have an awesome time getting to know eachother all over again without children around. We have quiet breakfasts, mornings at the library, coffee dates, catch a movie, grocery shopping, read together etc.

7. Our Soldiers. Thank you to those amazing men and women that risk their lives every single day to keep my family and I safe. There are not enough words in the dictionary to express how thankful I am to all of you and to your families that also sacrifice so much for you to protect us.

8. The Library. Nothing can bring about a sense of peace on a hectic day than walking though the oak doors of the library. It's an oasis to me that will forever remind me of long afternoons as a young girl. Picking out a book is always an adventure.

9. My Grandparents. I have 2 left, but as a child, I had all 4 and they were the most amazing people that had an incredible influence on who I have become. Their love for each other became a shining example of marriage for me.

10. Who I am today. I thank the good Lord, my parents and grandparents for creating who I have grown up to be. I am happy with the person that I see in the mirror and that's all anyone could ever ask for.

Happy Thanksgiving my Friends, may it be Magical and full of so much Love and Blessings...

Monday, November 14, 2011

Monday came much to fast this week! This was one morning that I just wanted to curl right back under my blankets and stay there for another few hours. Lately, I've been feeling the stress of life catching up to me. You know as parents, we really want to DO IT ALL and no matter how much I try, I feel like I end up neglecting something. I then sit and go over my planners religiously and over think everything. I need to just take a minute and relax and realize that life will in fact still go on, even if something doesn't go by the book. Have you ever felt like that before?

I love to unwind with fruit and tea at the end of the day

Time to move on and talk about this week's menu. I'm at the end of a grocery run and am trying not to shop for anything, as we will spend most of next week on vacation. This is where it gets difficult, since I have to plan a menu with what is on hand and not just go and buy what I feel like making!

On road trips, I like to pack an assortment of snacks!

Have you ever planned a menu based on what you find in your cabinets and pantry? That in itself is quite difficult, but then I add in the fact that I usually only buy what I need for a certain week and now it's an all out challenge! I pulled my step stool into the kitchen on Sunday and pulled out everything I could find on the shelves that would assist in making a week of delicious food!

Halloween Snack Mix!

I still intend to stop at the store for fresh fruit, veggies and milk, as I buy these when I need them. I like my produce fresh and crisp and if I can manage to make it, I like it from the Farmers markets. This plan of action, usually has me purchasing fresh produce twice a week.

Make cookie dough ahead of time and let kids add in their own concoctions to create a one-of-a-kind cookie!

We like to close out especially rough and long days with a hot chocolate bar and a movie. Sometimes it's the best way to all be together and not have to say a thing. We call these nights: Sweet Endings!

A paper bowl and a paper plate are all we needed to get started! I cut lengths of string on my own and also cut the center out of the paper plates. I let them decorate all the pieces as they wished and they were OFF!

Measure their heads and use a hole punch wherever necessary to put the strings through! There you have the best safari hats ever!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Do you ever take the time to stop and notice just how awesome the Hardware store can be? It seems to take on some magical realm for my children the minute we enter through the doors. They have the TRY ME section, that allows little hands to maneuver some 'real' tools! My son loves the flashlight! (Keep an eye on what you let little hands try!!) The bright lights, the high ceilings, everything is something new to discover.

My son loves the light switch aisle. Here he can turn on and off buttons, slides and switches to his hearts content. He can ring doorbells and listen as the sounds change. Yes, the hardware store can in fact be a real field trip!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Hello friends! Can you believe that it's almost Friday? My children have off tomorrow, so in a way, it already is our Friday. This is another installment of 10 things I am thankful for.

1. Excellent Teachers. My husband and I spent years researching where our children would go to school and at 1 point we had 3 kids in 3 different schools. We believe schools should fit the child and not the other way around. I 100% believe that a good school is made an EXCELLENT school, because of dedicated teachers.

2. A wonderful husband! I mentioned that I didn't have time to make a blog post last night, due to many other things that I had to get done and he told me to sit on the couch and do what I had to do, he would take care of my morning chores. He brought me a mug of tea and an egg sandwich while he finished up the dishes and is even posting some orders for me today.

3. Fall Weather. When the leaves turn, they make such beautiful photos and I feel as though I am living in a painting when I drive down wooded roads.

4. Libraries. There is no place I would rather spend a few hours of alone time, then in the company of thousands of potential friends that I can learn all about with a cup of tea.

5. The Holiday Season. This is a time when we get travel together as a family and spend unplugged from the World. We just ordered our Christmas Tree last weekend!!

6. Friends. I am proud to say that my very best friend from high school is still my best friend today. Our lives took very different paths and yet we can still fall right into step with each other when we are together.

7. Play Time. My youngest taught me what it means to really play. He had me rolling down the biggest hills with him last week and I have never laughed so hard. (or gotten so dizzy!!)

8. A working Vehicle. The transmission on our van went out and after many weeks of deliberation, we realized it wasn't worth fixing. It would be so easy to just get upset about it, but instead, I am thankful for our other working vehicle!

9. Quiet Time. I took some time this week to get away and drop everything I was doing to cozy up in a booth at McDonald's with tea, a book and my laptop! It was WONDERFUL!